‘iMarch’ for immigration reform launches

The “iMarch” for immigration reform — an online forum that includes things like Twitter town halls — is kicking off today, the first major effort by a group formed by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rupert Murdoch to prod Congress on the issue.

Events will be held today and tomorrow, including some featuring former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, two of the Republican Party’s best-known voices for immigration reform over the years.

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Among those participating or supporting the measure are President Barack Obama’s former campaign apparatus, reconfigured as Organizing for Action, and the super PAC formed by former George W. Bush Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and others.

“This is an issue that has nothing to do with party affiliation,” said John Feinblatt, Bloomberg’s chief policy adviser who works on his gun control and immigration reform efforts. “It’s about making sure our immigration system meets the needs of our 21st-century economy and works to keep America’s future bright. Democrats and Republicans across the country understand this, and the virtual march will help show Washington that there’s a broad consensus on the need for comprehensive immigration reform — and a growing demand for it.”

An OFA spokeswoman said the group’s major social media presence is what it brings to the project, an unconventional push that officials said is meant to augment, not replace, more traditional efforts.

“It’s an opportunity to increase awareness on the national level of the importance of immigration reform and the importance of immigration to innovation,” Gutierrez said in an interview. “This is digital. This gets out to a lot of different people all around the country. A lot of people around the country are being exposed to this; it’s not just an inside Washington thing.”

He added, “We need to move forward, and this is a way of getting Congress’s attention.”

Steve Case, the co-founder of America Online, said the idea came together a couple of months ago, and it’s a way to maximize the number of people who can participate.